Cristina Umpfenbach-Smyth's harmonies unfold as concise, crystalline miniatures, encapsulating natural states as though a Mary Oliver vision had been distilled for a haiku consciousness. But place her in a vector of discord, whether over breast cancer or the inability of others to forgive, and she will apply that same distillation to searing examinations of exquisitely-defined moments of fear and sorrow. By offering this yin and yang in a single volume of poetry, Umpfenbach-Smyth serves up the ideal balanced diet.
Loring Wirbel/Poet/Journalist